Tampon with internally packed withdrawal string

ABSTRACT

A compressed absorbent tampon for digital use in which the main portion of the withdrawal string attached to the tampon base is folded and packed inside the tampon within a small diameter longitudinally disposed bore which extends into the interior of the tampon from the tampon base for at least one-third of the tampon length. Only a small portion of the string remains outside of the tampon, which portion the user may grasp in order to pull out the string to its full length when preparing the tampon for insertion.

United States Patent 1191 Johnson Feb. 4, 1975 [54] TAMPON WITHINTERNALLY PACKED 3,359,981 12/1967 Hochstrasser 128/285 WITHDRAWALSTRING FOREIGN PATENTS 0R APPLICATIONS [75] Inventor: Carl Neenah128,793 11/1946 Australia 128/285 [73] Assignee: Kimberly-ClarkCorporation,

Neenah, Wis. Primary ExaminerAldriCh F. Medbery Attorney, Agent, orFirmDaniel J. Hanlon, Jr.; [22] June 1973 William D. Herrick; Raymond J.Miller [21] Appl. No.: 366,126

Related US. Application Data [57] ABSTRACT [63] fg g a g of 175561 Acompressed absorbent tampon for digital use in a an one which the mainportion of the withdrawal string attached to the tampon base is foldedand packed inside the tampon within a Small diameter longitudinally [58]Fie'ld "1'28/285 283 posed bore which extends into the interior of thetampon from the tampon base for at least one-third of the tampon length.Only a small portion of the string re- [56] References cued mainsoutside of the tampon, which portion the user UNITED STATES PATENTS maygrasp in order to pull out the string to its full 1,669,295 551328Hallllenberg 128/285 length when preparing the tampon for insertion.2,176,114 10 39 We s 3,135,262 6/1964 Kobler et al. 128/285 9 Claims, 10Drawing Figures I IO l8 l2 f PATENIEDFEB 4M5 3,863,636

SHEET 10F 3 I 22 I6 FIG. 2

33 IO 34 I6 26 20 so VACUUM if, k\ j// I 28 FIG.3

TAMPON WITH INTERNALLY PACKED WITHDRAWAL STRING BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION This application is a continuation-in-part of copending U.S.application Ser. No. 175,561 filed Aug. 27, I971 and now abandoned.

Catamenial tampons comprised of absorbent material compressed tocylindrical form and provided with a withdrawal string attached to arear portion of the tampon are presently being marketed in three majorstyles.

One style generally known as the tube type tampon uses a pair oftelescoping tubes as an insertion device. In this type the tampon isdisposed in the front end of the outer tube of a pair of telescopicallyassociated tubes, and the withdrawal string is extended to substantiallyits full length through the hollow center of the inner tube. The entireassembly is enclosed in a removable wrapped for hygienic handling.

A second style, generally known as the stick type tampon uses a stick asthe insertion device. In this type an elongated inserter stick isremovably disposed in a socket extendinginto the base of the tampon, andthe withdrawal string is extended to substantially its full length in anarea parallel to the stick. This entire assembly is also enclosed in aremovable wrapper for hygienic handling.

A third style known as the digital type tampon has no insertion deviceassociated with it. For this type there are a number of ways suggestedfor handling the arrangement of the withdrawal string. For example, thestring may be coiled in an annular channel near the tampon base; it maybe wound around the tampon or disposed adjacent its sides in somefashion; or it may be folded, coiled or compressed in a bundle at thetampon base. This style tampon, too, is enclosed in a removable wrapper.

This application is directed to the digital type tampon, and isparticularly directed to an improved temporary storage arrangement forthe string which facilitates packaging and handling.

THE PRIOR ART In the prior art, U.S. Pat. No. 2,587,515 shows thewithdrawal string neatly formed in a coil which is closely compactedagainst the exterior of the tampon base.

In U.S. Pat. No. 3,135,262 the withdrawal string is extended along oneside of the tampon and the free end protrudes from the front end of theprotective wrapper where it acts as a tear string for opening thewrapper.

In U.S. Pat. No. 3,477,102, an annular recess is formed in the base ofthe tampon, and the withdrawal thread is spirally wound in a flatwinding and seated in the annular recess. v

In British Pat. No. 758,879 the withdrawal cord is spirally wound aroundthe sides of the tampon with the the tampon base. I

LII

None of the above disclose or suggest the string arrangement as furtherdescribed and illustrated in the following specification and attacheddrawings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A compressed tampon having a withdrawal stringattached near the base thereof is provided with an elongate internalbore of small diameter extending into the tampon from the base for atleast one-third of the tampon length. A major portion of the stringextending between the attached end and the free end of the string isfolded and firmly packed inside the small diameter bore and physicallyretained therein by friction. A small portion or portions of the string.including the free end which may also have a terminal knot portion.extends outside the bore. The user may easily grasp this portion andpull out the string to its full length when preparing the tampon forinsertion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side view of oneembodiment of a tampon made in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section of the tampon of FIG. 1 showing oneembodiment of a suitable packed withdrawal string.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal section of a string packing device showing onemethod suitable for packing the withdrawal string into the tampon toobtain the FIGS. 1-2 embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial section similar to FIG. 2 but showinganother arrangement for the packed string.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal section of a string packing device similar toFIG. 3 and showing a method suitable for packing the withdrawal stringinto the tampon to obtain the FIG. 4 embodiment.

FIG. 6 is another enlarged partial section similar to FIG. 4 but showingstill another arrangement for the packed string.

FIGS. 7, 8, 9 and 10 are longitudinal sections of a modified packingdevice illustrating the various steps for packing the string into thetampon to obtain the arrangement shown in FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS i In FIGS. 1 and 2there is shown a compressed cylindrical tampon 10 of absorbent material.The tampon has a rounded entrant portion 12 and a substantially flatbase 14. Adjacent the base a withdrawal string 16 is suitably attachedto the tampon. An elongate small diameter bore 18 extends into theinterior of the tampon for at least one-third of the tampon length froman opening in base 14 and string 16 is folded and packed into bore 18with a terminal portion including knot 20 extending outside the bore. Inthis embodiment, the string 16 is shown as being foreshortened by asingle fold 22 and packed into bore'l8 with a number of smallundulations 24 along its entire length. It will be noted from thedrawing that bore l8 extends longitudinally into the interior of thetampon a substantial length, and as shown in FIG. 2, for at leastone-third of the tampon length. It will also be noted from the drawingthat the diameter of the bore is less than the radius of the tampon. Thephysical association of the packed and undulated string with theinterior sides of the bore provides sufficient frictional resistance toremoval to insure that the string will be retained within the tamponuntil the user chooses to remove and extend it by grasping knot 20 whenpreparing the tampon for insertion. The terminal end of the stringextending outside the tampon may be unknotted if desired.

The device of FIG. 3 may be used to produce the packed string tamponarrangement shown in FIGS. 1 and ,2. In FIG. 3 a block 26 is providedwith a central channel 28 extending longitudinally thereof and having aport 30 through which a vacuum may be drawn. A plunger 12 is positionedfor reciprocal movement in channel 28. Tampon 10 with withdrawal string16 attached is held in a suitable contoured cavity 33 in die block 34.

Small diameter bore 18 in tampon may be suitably provided by the methoddescribed in assignees US. Pat. No. 2,926,394 and that description isincorporated herein by reference. Methods for providing such a smalldiameter internal bore are well known in the art directed to sticktampons and the method of providing the bore is not a part of thisinvention. What is described herein is the utilization of the smalldiameter, longitudinally extending -bore for another purpose other thanis taught in the prior art, i.e., as a temporary and convenient storagearea for the withdrawal string.

In using the FIG. 3 device to produce the FIGS. 1 and 2 embodiment,tampon I is first placed in cavity 33. Die block 34 is then slid towardblock 26 while a vacuum is drawn through port 30 thus sucking withdrawalstring I6 into channel 28 and partially into port 30 as shown. Plunger32 is then pushed toward bore 18 of the tampon causing string 16 towrinkle on itself into multiple undulations 24 as it is compacted andforced into bore 18 to provide the configuration shown in FIG. 2. Whilethe drawing in FIG. 2 shows the packed string 16 to have uniform smallundulations 24 and a fold 22 disposed at about the middle of the stringit is understood that these are idealized representations and the finalproduct most likely would not be that uniformly configured. Theundulations are more apt to comprise irregularly spaced bends. However,when processed by the device as shown in FIG. 2 the string will havesome type of multiple small undulations along its entire length and afold somewhere near the midpoint 22 of string 16 substantially as shown.When plunger 32 is withdrawn knot 20 or an unknotted free end, willremain outside of bore 18 at the base 14 of tampon 10..

In these drawings it should be noted that while bore 18 is shown asbeing axially disposed in tampon l0, bore 18 need only be substantiallyparallel to the axis of the tampon to serve the described purpose. Inother words there is no need to have the bore centrally disposed otherthan for convenience in processing.

In the still more enlarged partial section of FIG. 4 an alternativearrangement of the packed string is shown. In that arrangement string16a, in addition to having the multiple small undulations 24a, is foldedon itself at least one more time at points 23a.

The FIG. 4 arrangement may be provided by use of the device in FIG. 5.In this device, block 26 and die block 34 and their associated parts arethe same as in FIG. 3, and like numbers are used for like parts.

In using the FIG. device, tampon a is first placed in cavity 33 andstring 16a is then folded in half at 22a before sliding die block 34toward block 26. As a vacuum is drawn through port 30, fold 22a ofstring 16a is drawn into channel 28 while knot a, or the unknotted freeend of the string, remains'positioned between the blocks as shown.Plunger 32 is then pushed toward bore 18a of tampon 10a causing string16a. to wrinkle into multiple undulations 24a as well as to provide newfold lines 23a as the string is forced into bore 18a. The approximatearrangement of the packed string in the end product is shown in sectionin FIG. 4. As shown there, knot 20a is outside of bore 18a at base 14a,as is fold 22a and small portions of the string adjacent fold 22a.

Still another embodiment of the tampon ofthe invention is shown in FIG.6. and the arrangement of the device for producing it is shown in FIGS.7 through I0. In the enlarged section of FIG. 6 there is illustratedanother alternate arrangement for the packed string. In thatarrangement, a number of folds 40 protrude from bore 22b at base 14balong with knot 20b and positively formed folds 41, which are disposedon the string approximately midway between folds 40, are packed withinbore 22b.

In the device shown in FIGS. 7 through 10, block 26 and die block 34 andtheir associated parts are the same as in FIGS. 3 and 5. However in thisdevice, reciprocating jaws 42 and 43 with mating toothed portions 46 and48, as well as plate 44 with a central aperture 29 are interposedbetween block 26 and die block 34 as shown.

In using this device, tampon 10b is placed in cavity 33 of die block 34which is then slid toward plate 44. A vacuum is drawn through port 30causing string 16b to be drawn through aperture 29 and extend its fulllength along channel 28. Jaws 42 and 43 are then closed as shown in FIG.8 forming string 16b into a serpentine shape with a number of zig-zagfolds.

.laws 42 and 43 are then opened and string 1612 will retain its folds 40as shown in FIG. 9.

Plunger 32 is then pushed towards bore 22b folding the string at 41 nearpoints on the string midway between folds 40 and packing it in thiscondition into bore 22b. The result is as shown in FIG. 6 with folds 41disposed within bore 22b and folds 40 disposed outside bore 2212 alongwith knot 20b or with the unknotted free end of the string. Unlike theFIGS. 2 and 4 arrangements, and because of the method used for packing,those portions of the withdrawal string 16b in the FIG. 6 illustrationwhich are packed within bore 22b are fully stretched out and do not havethe minute undulations along those portions of its length.

While the FIGS. 7-10 device is shown as putting four folds in thestring, it will be seen that other variations in the number of folds maybe employed in obtaining a string arrangement similar to that shown inFIG. 6.

By referring to FIGS. 2, 4 and 6 of the drawings, it will be noted thatwhether the packed string has two folds or a multiplicity of folds, ineach case the longitudinal axis of each of the unfolded longitudinalstretches of the string extends in the direction of the longitudinalaxis of the bore.

It is also apparent that while all the FIGURES show a terminal knot inthe free end of the withdrawal string as the preferred embodiment, theknot is not necessary in carrying out the broad concept of theinvention, and that therefore strings without a terminal knot may beemployed if desired.

It is also preferred that the string be of a different color than thetampon to provide sufficient contrast for easy detection by the user.

What is claimed is:

1. In a compressed tampon having a withdrawal string attached to one endthereof, the improvement comprising means for storing said withdrawalstring in said tampon one end by being provided with an elongate openbore of small diameter extending longitudinally into the interior ofsaid tampon for at least onethird of the tampon length; the diameter ofsaid bore being less than the radius of said tampon; and the majorportion of said string which extends between the attached and the freeend of said string being packed and enclosed inside of said bore withsufficient tightness to be frictionally held therein until manuallyremoved; said packed string being folded on itself at least once and thelongitudinal axis of each of the longitudinal stretches of said foldedstring extending in the direction of the longitudinal axis of said bore;and a means for removing said major portion of said string from saidbore comprising a minor portion of said folded string disposed outsidethe open end of said bore defining a free finger grasping end of saidstring.

2. The tampon of claim 1 wherein said minor portion includes the freeend of said string.

' disposed.

the folded and packed length thereof.

7. The tampon of claim 6 wherein said packed and undulated string isfolded twice along its length.

8. The tampon of claim 1 wherein said packed string is in the form of amultiplicity of zig-zag folds tucked into said bore by additional foldsat points on said string midway between each pair of zig-zag folds,whereby portions of said string immediately adjacent the points of thezig-zag fold as well as the free end portion are disposed outside thebore.

9. The tampon of claim 1 wherein said string is of a color whichcontrasts with the color of the tampon.

1. In a compressed tampon having a withdrawal string attached to one endthereof, the improvement comprising means for storing said withdrawalstring in said tampon one end by being provided with an elongate openbore of small diameter extending longitudinally into the interior ofsaid tampon for at least onethird of the tampon length; the diameter ofsaid bore being less than the radius of said tampon; and the majorportion of said string which extends between the attached and the freeend of said string being packed and enclosed inside of said bore withsufficient tightness to be frictionally held therein until manuallyremoved; said packed string being folded on itself at least once and thelongitudinal axis of each of the longitudinal stretches of said foldedstring extending in the direction of the longitudinal axis of said bore;and a means for removing said major portion of said string from saidbore comprising a minor portion of said folded string disposed outsidethe open end of said bore defining a free finger grasping end of saidstring.
 2. The tampon of claim 1 wherein said minor portion includes thefree end of said string.
 3. The tampon of claim 1 wherein said bore isaxially disposed.
 4. The tampon of claim 1 wherein the free end of saidstring has a terminal knot.
 5. The tampon of claim 4 wherein only theterminal knot remains outside the bore.
 6. The tampon of claim 1 whereinthe frictionally held portiOn of said packed string is additionallyforeshortened by a multiplicity of small undulations along the foldedand packed length thereof.
 7. The tampon of claim 6 wherein said packedand undulated string is folded twice along its length.
 8. The tampon ofclaim 1 wherein said packed string is in the form of a multiplicity ofzig-zag folds tucked into said bore by additional folds at points onsaid string midway between each pair of zig-zag folds, whereby portionsof said string immediately adjacent the points of the zig-zag fold aswell as the free end portion are disposed outside the bore.
 9. Thetampon of claim 1 wherein said string is of a color which contrasts withthe color of the tampon.